Metastatic skin nodules in breast cancer: a report of five cases

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer related death in female patients admitted in surgical wards of tertiary hospitals. It is common in elderly women and now being reported even in younger patients. Despite enlightenment campaigns patients still present with very late disease. Aim: This is to report five cases of metastatic skin nodules in breast cancer; an auditing tool of the breast cancer awareness campaign. Case Report: The first was a 55-year-old female who presented with a history of generalized skin nodules and progressive weight loss. She was pale and cachectic. Her pulse rate was 110 per minute and blood pressure was 90/50 mmHg. The second was 60-year-old female who presented with right breast lump and and multiple anterior chest wall nodules. The third was a 35-year-old female who presented with a left breast lump. She had excision biopsy and was lost on follow up The fourth case was 48-year-old female who presented with left breast ulcer and multiple anterior chest wall nodules. Lastly, the fifth was a 58-year-old female who presented with left breast ulcer, skin nodules and paraplegia. All cases had metastatic nodules found on the examination at presentation. Biopsy of these nodules confirmed infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Three died while receiving treatment while two were lost on follow-up.Conclusion: Death arising from metastatic cutaneous breast cancer is a good index for surgical audit. The findings of these cases in our environment depict need for more effort in awareness campaign for reducing mortality from breast cancer

Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self Examination among Female Students in a Sub-Saharan African University

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in many parts of Africa. Facilities for screening and early detection are extremely limited yet early diagnosis improves survival. This study explored the practice of Breast Self Examination among female university students as a means of screening and early detection in a low resources environment.Subjects and Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study at a Sub Saharan university. A call for volunteers to the study was made; a pretested standardised questionnaire was used for data collection. The process was limited to an interview and a physical examination. IRB approval was granted before the study began.Results: A total of 320 participants volunteered; 314 were recruited. The majority were aged between 21 and 25. The range was between 19 to 31 years. There was a high awareness of Breast Self Examination (BSE) of 81.5; 30had ever performed a BSE; 14performed it regularly; 8knew the correct monthly timing; the technique was accurately demonstrated by 1of participants. 4.8 were found to have breast lumps.Conclusion: There is a likelihood of most young women in the country practicing BSE inadequately. There is a need for widespread BSE campaigns emphasizing the correct technique and a need to evaluate BSE efficacy. The prevalence of breast lumps among young women attending this university was comparable to other community prevalence studies in this age group